Market Widening for Collection Agencies

We’ve heard of collection agencies that help businesses collect their debts from notorious clients or debtors, but we have never had a situation where a library makes the most of these valuable services.

But being the first-timer didn’t discourage Rochester Public Library, one of the largest libraries located in Rochester from partnering with debt collectors. So if you have been borrowing books (and not returning them) or owe the library an amount pressed on you as a fine for going against the institution’s rules, then next month may be a tough one for you— a collection agency will be all over you.

According to Brian Sylvester, the Director Rochester Library, the institution’s decision to strike a deal with a collection agency is meant to supplement its longtime efforts to collect overdue learning material and fines.

Under Rochester’s revised policy, scheduled to start operating this month, the library will utilize the services of a collection agency to push patrons with over $75 of overdue items to take back whatever belongs to the organization. And to avoid incurring unnecessary extra expenses, each patron will take care of the collection agency’s cost of service.

“This policy was implemented to serve all library patrons in the fairest way possible, and we expect this law will only affect a small number of Rochester library users,” said Sylvester. “When users fail to return learning materials, borrowers who come looking for books after them are disadvantaged, which forces the library to waste thousands of dollars replacing missing material other than purchasing new ones.”

Until the collection urgency swings into action, the library keep on notifying of overdue materials and sending polite notices to inform them of items that are almost due. This level of communication will give patrons ample time before they are handed over to the collection agency merchant account holders.

Any patron account owing anything above $75 will be referred to the collection agency, and have an extra $10 fee added to their library accounts. Before an account is passed on to collections, the patron or adult who signed the contract on behalf of the child or institution will be contacted by Rochester Library’s Unique Management, It is the person whose name appears on the account that is held responsible for the fees or fines.

And lastly, to conceal each patron’s privacy, the Unique Management team won’t be issued with info on the type of material that you borrowed.